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Vermont Business Magazine: Senator Patrick Leahy: “Fidel Castro will be remembered as an ideologue who liberated the Cuban people from a  corrupt dictatorship only to replace it with a family dynasty that maintained its grip on power through fear and repression. 

Maple Capital Management First it was Brexit and now it’s the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States. In both cases, voters acted with disdain for the status quo and markets reacted with glee. Investors positioned themselves ahead of both votes for what was sure to be the certain result, only to be proved wrong when the votes were counted. The initial reaction to the Trump victory was a sharp sell-off in most markets. Asian stock markets were down 3 to 5%, European markets down 1 to 2%, and US stock futures 1.5 to 2%. US Treasuries rallied on the news, with yields falling to the low 1.70’s, before sharply reversing to the mid 1.90’s level. Since, investors have embraced the pro-growth policies Trump has outlined, causing equity markets to surge and interest rates to climb.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington-based Dealer.com has announced that its Digital Advertising Solution has been approved by General Motors as an in-Market Retail (iMR) Turnkey Product. The certification allows GM dealers to purchase Dealer.com's Advertising product and receive co-op reimbursement from GM for their investment.

Vermont Business Magazine While recognizing the tremendous challenges we face as a global community, Ben & Jerry's can wholeheartedly get behind a holiday that celebrates good food and giving thanks. We have an almost overwhelming list of things for which we are thankful; first among them are the people who have worked with us to create linked prosperity and a more just society. Here, in no particular order, are some of the partnerships that have helped us address justice in all its many flavors.

Fairtrade farmers. Under Fairtrade, family farmers are paid a fair price for ice cream-essential ingredients like sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee and bananas. That helps them improve their livelihoods, grow the most delectable products, and protect the health of our planet. You could say: "Pretty sweet." Or you could say it's chocolicious, a-peeling, buzzworthy AND sweet!

Vermont Business Magazine Governor-elect Phil Scott today announced the first four appointments to his senior staff. Scott will appoint longtime aide Rachel Feldman as Senior Director of Boards, Commissions and Public Service. Brittney Wilson will be appointed to the Constitutional Office of Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs. Kendal Smith will serve as Director of Policy Development and Legislative Affairs. Finally, Scott has selected Jason Gibbs to serve as his Chief of Staff.

by Michael Bielawski Vermont Watchdog Vermont utility companies are accustomed to sharing the cost of power, but a new rule that went into effect in September requires utilities closest to the power source to pay up. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 requires utilities to purchase power from producers regardless of whether it's needed or not. For utilities in Vermont, the way those costs are distributed is changing in a substantial way.

Vermont Business Magazine One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table. Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated derivatives -- the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds – all of them descended from our native wild turkey. 

What future for Lake Champlain? A powerful new model by UVM and other scientists suggests that climate change may pose greater risks than previously realized. The results may have implications for how the EPA and others manage and regulate freshwater lakes across the nation. UVM photos.

Vermont Business Magazine New research suggests that Lake Champlain may be more susceptible to damage from climate change than was previously understood—and that, therefore, the rules created by the EPA to protect the lake may be inadequate to prevent algae blooms and water quality problems as the region gets hotter and wetter.

by US Senator Patrick Leahy In our family, as in homes across Vermont and the nation, this Thanksgiving will be a time of especially deep and emotional reflection. After a bitterly contested election that tested our civility and fanned the flames of intolerance, we now move into a period that may further test our national character and our institutions. We already are ending a year in which a majority of senators have broken not only with precedent, but with the sworn obligation to uphold our constitutional responsibilities, by refusing to even hold a hearing on a president’s nominee to fill a vacancy on our highest court.

Vermont Business Magazine GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Anbaric Microgrid, and Exelon have announced an agreement to identify opportunities for improving power quality and reliability at the company’s Fab 8 semiconductor manufacturing facility in Saratoga County, N.Y. through a series of power quality studies. Uninterrupted, high-quality power is essential for operating the plant’s sensitive manufacturing equipment and for continued growth of the high-tech advanced manufacturing economy in New York’s Capital Region. The initiative will leverage distributed energy resources and microgrid controls to both address the operational requirements of Fab 8 and to model solutions that can be applied elsewhere.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund has launched a new initiative to assist the forest products industry in creating and retaining quality jobs and opening additional markets for locally produced wood products. A collaboration between the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, the Northern Forest Center, and the Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board, the new Forest Products Value Chain Investment Program will include business assistance to wood products manufacturers, market research and development, the creation of an industry-wide network, and a comprehensive communications strategy designed to raise the profile of the industry in Vermont and the region.  

Christine McGowan

Vermont Business Magazine An informational meeting covering proposed updates to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 for Vermont businesses and organizations. The meeting will be a follow-up to a regional webinar being held on November 21 for all participating states. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory market-based program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. States participating in the program establish a regional cap on annual carbon emissions allowable from the power sector, and require power plants to purchase and trade units of carbon emissions so that the regional cap is met. Participating states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.